Governor Eases Some Restrictions

• Allow motorized pleasure boats [see article on DLIA Boat Launch below].
• Golfing OK but no golf carts [social distancing still required]
• Bike repair shops can open
• Garden centers, nurseries, and those areas in big box stores now may open
• Workers in moving or storage operations are allowed
• MI residents may travel between two residences, including moving to a new residence. [The Governor commented travelling between residences is still highly discouraged – bear in mind the limited medical facilities/hospital beds in rural areas.  Cheboygan County has only limited Emergency Room service; Petoskey McLaren Hospital serves Emmett County and other nearby counties with very limited ICU capacity.]

The complete text of the EO is available at: https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90705-526894--,00.html

            The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (WC) urges the public to communicate to Governor Whitmer that she should use the current emergency declaration to delay the review of permit applications submitted by Enbridge for its proposed Line 5 Tunnel under the Mackinac Straits. The WC is concerned that Michiganders will not have adequate opportunity to comment on the tunnel project during this time of COVID-19 restrictions.
The WC’s Action Alert suggests two key points to communicate to the Governor:

Share your opinion online:
https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/Share Opinion.aspx 
 Or Phone:  517-373-3400 or  571-335-7858 (Constituent Services)

[Editor’s note:  In response to a request for more information about the history of loon nesting images at Douglas Lake, Holly Gedert has contributed the following article.  DLIA owes much to Holly and Rich for their commitment to the preservation and documentation of the Douglas Lake loon community.  Thank you, Rich and Holly.]
 

     The first close loon nesting images came in 2017. We saw the courtship, the first egg, the first chick and to our surprise - that the loons may return to the nest several times before leaving it for the season. This was something we did not expect.  These images give us an opportunity to observe, discover behaviors, document the number of eggs, and help us understand why not all chicks hatch or survive.Rich Gedert bought a trail cam in 2016. His friend, Mike Ehrick from Toledo, OH, worked on how to modify the camera for a loon nest. The standard trail camera is built to view a wide area with a 15’ and beyond focus. The trail cam has no threads to attach a lens. Mike glued a threaded adaptor to the camera. He then attached an extension tube and a wide-angle converter with macro lens. Mike had a dual-purpose custom aluminum plate made designed to secure the lens assembly and trail cam to a modified tripod.
     Rich built an extension on one of the loon platforms for the new Loon Cam. The first year was a success except for a lens fogging problem. That was worked out the next year 2018 with a white bucket to shield the Loon Cam from moisture.
     The DLIA Loon Committee requested funding for new Loon Cams. There are now three nesting platforms with Loon Cams. Holly Gedert loads significant captures to her website for public viewing at www.HollyGedert.com/2020loons. Rich said that we did not purchase another trail cam this year because our current cams use 3G technology. He wants to see how quickly 5G will come and when 3G will be eliminated. [DLIA Executive Board had approved funding for a third loon platform camera in 2020. Funds will be held over until the Loon Committee indicates an additional camera would be appropriate.]
Give a thanks to Rich Gedert for bringing Douglas Lake the up-close loon experience.
[Another Editor’s note: DLIA’s web site includes some terrific loon literature and educational information. Check it out at https://www.douglaslake.org/news/loon-nesting-program/]

            Sunday morning Stuart Case and his boat ramp crew were on the job cleaning up the boat ramp area and putting the dock in place.  The wind was up and the waters were chilly but the job is done. Maple Bay Marine may donate another metal dock section which would replace the old wooden plank section. Many thanks to Stuart and his team, specifically Kent and Grant Case, Rich Gedert, Pat Keiser, Steve Sweany, and Chris Walts. [Editor’s note: My apologies if I left anyone off  Sunday’s volunteer list – I arrived in time to snap a photo of Stuart manning his Kubota, but too late for the crew and donuts.] 

Douglas Lake Volunteer Boat Assist Team 2020
 

The Douglas Lake Volunteer Boat Team consists of residents of DL, who have volunteered to assist boaters who are stranded on the lake due to a malfunctioning boat or motor.  The volunteers are not professional boat mechanics, but are willing to lend a hand and get you to shore.  The DL Boat Assistance Team is in effect during the normal boating season. (Memorial Day through Labor Day.)

 

Ron Kelemen has (once again) agreed to coordinate the team roster.  It is most helpful if team volunteers live in several areas around the lake. Ron asks that volunteers contact him either by email at rkelemen42@gmail.com or call him at 231-373-2614.

If you have volunteered in the past, thank you.  Please consider “re-upping.” If this volunteer opportunity is new to you, contact Ron with questions.

 

We’ll share the Volunteer Boat Assist roster in the near future via eNews so Douglas Lake boaters can keep the 2020 team contact information on their boats for that unanticipated emergency.

            The Dutch Oven Bakery in Alanson is partnering with the Pellston Food Pantry to feed those in need in our community.  Check out the Bakery’s Facebook page for a list of items eligible for the project.  When a customer purchases any of the items on this list (which includes bread, pies, flour, quiche, pot pies, etc.) as a donation to the Food Pantry, the Dutch Oven will make 25% cash donation to match your purchase.  The list of all eligible items that you can purchase which will be matched 25% by the Bakery is also available at the Bakery. If you don’t want to purchase specific items for the Food Pantry, the Dutch Over will contribute a 25% match to your cash contribution.  The Dutch Over also handles delivery of all purchased items and cash contributions with matching funds to the Pellston Food Pantry. 
            Please help support the Food Pantry’s mission in these difficult times.  Thanks to the owners of the Dutch Oven Bakery for combining a customer donation opportunity with a generous cash match. Remember the Bakery is open 6:30am-5:30pm Tuesday through Saturday and closed on Sunday and Monday.

          In the COVID-19 era, the MI Department of Natural Resources urges morel hunters to search locally and only with people who live in their household.  Most Michiganders will tell you that the location of a good morel patch is a matter of utmost secrecy.  This makes mushroom hunting a perfect chance to practice the 6-foot minimum social distancing that is such a critical step in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
          The season for morels, from late April to early June, offers a great way to enjoy Michigan out of doors. To find morels, target hilly areas with plenty of hardwood trees like maple, beech and oak, checking for burn scars where a wildfire or prescribed burn has occurred. Pick a warm day after a rain to start your hunt, when mushrooms have most likely bloomed. When heading to the woods, take a mesh bag for carrying your prizes, a knife (always cut, never pull morels), and a map of your hunting area.
Learn how to find morels, tell a false one from a real one, prepare them, and boost your chances of success – with a map showing sites of last year’s wildfires and prescribed burns- at Michigan.gov/MiMorels. [Source:  DNR News Digest – Week of April 13, 2020]

            As promised in the last eNews, pictures of Douglas Lake residents responding to these unprecedented times are welcome.  Linda Orlow’s photo of her birch bark art “Hope” leads the first article recapping the Governor’s recent Executive Order easing some of the restrictions placed on Michiganders earlier in March.

Although the MI Department of Transportation cancelled its Annual Spring Road Clean-Up because of COVID-19, several roadways around Douglas Lake could use some volunteer effort. DLIA member Scott Davis has been cleaning up some road trash around Ingleside Rd – thanks to Kelly Davis for the photo.